May 28 – June 3 Daily Meditations in the Psalms
May 28
Psalms 44:17-25
17.
All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have
we dealt falsely in thy covenant.
18.
Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy
way;
19.
Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us
with the shadow of death.
20.
If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to
a strange god;
21.
Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
22.
Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as
sheep for the slaughter.
23.
Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.
24.
Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our
oppression?
25.
For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the
earth.
24. Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies’
sake.
In the midst of a trial, the Psalmist
comes to the end of himself. He is in an intolerable position. He cannot accept
the statis quo, settle into it or
call it the norm. It is dishonorable and shameful. Should God’s people reek
instead of sending forth a sweet aroma? Should they submit to the storm of
unrighteousness? No, David will not give in. He will not forget God or forsake
His covenant. He will not turn back in his heart or stop walking in God’s
direction. He has been broken down and shadows have come, but “to whom shall we go” - there is no
alternative for the true seeker. He is conscious of the omniscience,
omnipresence and omnipotence of God. He cannot stray or render credit to
another god. He lives and prays “for Thy sake”.
The desperate condition calls forth mighty
intercessions. The Psalms are scripture, Holy Spirit-breathed and mighty.
Breathe them in! Write them on your heart and bear them on your lips! “Awake,
oh Lord!” This kind of boldness had better not be offered presumptuously. It
had better be deep calling unto deep. If it is, then watch out, because all of
heaven will respond and this poor, little planet will shake from pole to pole.
May 29
Psalms 45:1-7
1.
My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have
made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
2.
Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips:
therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.
3.
Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy
majesty.
4.
And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and
righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.
5.
Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the
people fall under thee.
6.
Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a
right sceptre.
7.
Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy
God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
“The
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” and the Spirit of Christ
rises in the Psalmist to testify. His spirit is moved as the ageless secrets of
God flow into him and his mouth is opened to speak of matters that eye has not
seen nor ear heard. He has received a revelation of Christ the King. It is no
mere man he sees, for He is fairer. God-blessed grace is poured into His lips
in infinite proportions. His word, which is before the foundation of the earth,
will never pass away. He is the mightiest in glory and majesty, equipped for
battle, similarly as described in Revelation 19, which was written so many
years later. He prospers, due to the characteristics of His nature and no one
can expect to really prosper in Christ without them. They are truth, meekness
and righteousness. His right hand performs awesome deeds. He shall reign until
He subdues every enemy and pierces every rebel heart, demanding surrender or
destruction. Every man becomes either a prisoner-of-war or a field casualty.
This king has an eternal throne – “He
thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” His scepter is one of perfect
justice and rightness. He loves righteousness and rules with absolute adherence
to it. He hates wickedness and directs every ounce of the weight of His ruling
majesty against it. Therefore, God,
who is righteous, has anointed Him to be above all with approval that is
effective for eternity. He is both Lord and Christ.
May 30
Psalms 45:8-15
8.
All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory
palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.
9.
Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand
did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.
10.
Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also
thine own people, and thy father's house;
11.
So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and
worship thou him.
12.
And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among
the people shall intreat thy favour.
13.
The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought
gold.
14.
She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins
her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.
15.
With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into
the king's palace.
The royal, eternal Champion
makes His appearance at a wedding. From the battle, he comes to receive His
bride. The oil of gladness flows from His person and the whole celebration is
designed for His pleasure. His garments adorn Him and emit a fragrance of
richest aroma. Ivory palaces are the scene’s background.
Present are the honorable daughters of
allied kings. At His right hand is His bride, the queen, bedecked with no sham
or imitation, but with the finest of heaven’s gold. The Psalm pronounces the
marriage vows and conditions of her queenship. She must hear and consider the
voice of Her Bridegroom. She must abandon and forget even the dearest
relationships of the past. Then, she will become the object of the King’s
favor. She must submit to His sovereign lordship over her and devote herself to
worship Him. Submitting to those vows, she gains honor before others. In
glorious array, as a princess accompanied by her maidens, she presents herself
to the King. She enters the palaces to eternal bliss. The Psalm is a foretaste
of the great Marriage Supper of the Lamb, when the church, the bride, has made
herself ready.
May 31
Psalms 45:16-17
16.
Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make
princes in all the earth.
17.
I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore
shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.
Coming from the allegory to the
application, here is the lesson and the promise: There will be no more need to
look to the past as was the case in chapter 44, verse one. Preparations have
been made for a wedding, the garments of righteousness are put on, and then, it
is time to think of children, the fruit of the royal couple. “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear
much fruit.” They are to be princes before God, true Israels, in whom is no
guile, a glory and delight to His name. “Hallowed
be Thy name.” May the offspring of this generation remember His name and
bring glory to it. Let them join their praise with that of past ages. The
Psalmist fulfilled his promise in verse 17 and we have it as proof before our
eyes. Now, let us rise to the occasion and fulfill our part to praise Him for
ever and ever. Let us anticipate the great wedding to come. The reality of the
event is more wonderful than the words of the Psalmist can describe it.
June 1
Psalms 46:1-7, 10-11
1.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2.
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the
mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3.
Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains
shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
4.
There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God,
the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
5.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her,
and that right early.
6.
The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the
earth melted.
7. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our
refuge.
Selah.
10.
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I
will be exalted in the earth.
11.
The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
If we have come to know the attributes of
God, His almighty power and matchless glory, then we are aware that He is a
mountain-shaker, an earth-melter, a kingdom-mover, and a desolation-maker. A
greater knowledge yet is the assurance that He is our God. That removes fear
and promises a present and early help
in time of trouble. He is our refuge and strength. We have reason for stability
and gladness. God is the God of judgment and calamity, who will in these last
days pour out such devastation from heaven that will make the waters roar, the
mountains shake, and remove the earth. However, because He is our God,
we will not fear.
The heathen raged, but the
saints were still. There is a secret river that bypasses the great wonders of
the earth, but flows near the tabernacles of the Most High. Human eyes cannot
see it, for the resources of His kingdom do not come with observation. God is
in it to help His people at the very first signs of danger. He is the refuge of
safety and gladness in the midst of a world that is falling apart. He who
brings the desolations upon the earth, intends only that we witness it without
harm. He will be exalted and feared among the heathen, but to His saints, He
repeats and confirms that He is with them and is their refuge.
June 2
Psalms 46:8-11
8.
Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the
earth.
9.
He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow,
and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
10.
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I
will be exalted in the earth.
11.The LORD of hosts is with us; the
God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
Christ, the Prince of Peace, is the
ultimate conqueror. With a rod of iron He breaks the bow, cuts the spear and
burns the chariot. He is the end of war, the great Overcomer and Victor. He will be exalted in the earth and in the
Apocalypse, twenty-four elders praise Him, because He has taken to Him His “great power and hast reigned. And the
nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they
should be judged, and that Thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants the
prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and great; and
shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.” The Psalm we are now
considering is apocalyptic, but is filled with assurance to the saints.
June 3
Psalms 47:1-4
1. O clap your hands, all ye
people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.
2. For the LORD most high is
terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.
3. He shall subdue the people
under us, and the nations under our feet.
4.
He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he
loved. Selah.
Here is a clap and a shout. Whether this
clap is in time to music or is a round of applause, I do not know, but both the
clap and the shout is directed wholly to God. It is done because of His
triumphant nature. Do men clap and shout today because the Lord is terrible,
awesome, to be feared and excites terror (different translations of verse 2)?
The glory and greatness of His kingship are not to be taken lightly. He is the
one who subdues and vindicates those that he hand picks and who walk according
to His purpose. He also does the choosing for us. If we intend to experience
the excellencies of God, then we must be prepared to let Him make our choices.
He who loves us will choose aright, as He did for Abraham.
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